This invention relates generally to bags or packages made of flexible material, and more particularly to packages of this type which include a pouch for containing material therein and a selectively openable and closable passageway through which the material can be discharged from the package.
Packages made from flexible mono-layer or multi-layer film, such as polyethylene, nylon or polyester, are made in a wide-variety of forms that are designed to best contain a particular material, and to also permit the material to be easily and conveniently discharged when desired. In some cases, the nature of the material being packaged make it very desirable to provide the package with a reduced width adjacent the discharge opening of the package so as to provide the package with a spout through which the material can be more easily discharged or poured.
A typical package of this type is disclosed in Tobolka U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,065. However, because conventional package making equipment and methods generally do not make it economically feasible to attach a selectively openable closure device, such as a zipper-type closure strip, across only a portion of the discharge edge of the bag, it has not heretofore been known to make a package with a reduced discharge spout, and a closure strip extending across just the spout portion in the bag.
Additionally, bags which are designed to have spouts frequently contain liquids and other relatively heavy materials, and it is, therefore, desirable to provide the package with a handle so that it can be easily carried.
In general, the easiest and least expensive way to provide a plastic package with a handle is to simply punch an opening through the side walls of the package through which the fingers of the hand can be inserted through the opening to carry the bag. However, punching a hole in the side walls of the package adversely affects the structural integrity of the thin plastic material from which the package is made and this problem is exacerbated when the material contained by the package is relatively heavy.
In accordance with the present invention, a package is provided which is formed with a convenient discharge spout while at the same time having a closure strip for selectively opening and closing the spout, and the package is provided with a reinforced handle portion that is easy to produce and strong enough to permit the package to carry relatively heavy materials.